Tag Archives: Friends

Cake-Break School Style

Remember how I promised to tell you about the Ginger Elizabeth baking class?

Yeah, I know that was a long time ago. Oops. It’s a pity too because I feel like that baking class changed my life! Well, my baking life anyways. I’ve never been a baker. I’m not a perfectionist so all that exact measuring is a challenge but after the class I feel bold! I can do it! I can follow Ginger’s precise step by step recipes for delicious cupcake-heaven. I can totally make three different types of filled cupcakes. Cower before me vanilla beans that will be split and scraped!!!

All gross exaggerations aside the class was great. Ginger is a friendly and helpful teacher. She needn’t have been. After she gave her biography her credentials alone made me ready to do headstands for her. Among all the regular stuff she worked with Jacque Torres in NYC. Also her husband worked a at a little restaurant in Napa called the French Laundry.

Please adopt me Ginger.

Can you imagine meal time at that house? Their kid is the luckiest ever.

Mom, me and Em at Ginger Elizabeth Cupcake Class

My accomplices: It seems they are attending a secret baking school without me. I can only assume that school has a blue-eyed, teal blue clothes dress code.

We got samples of each cupcake we were going to make. It was hard not to eat them immediately.

Ginger is crazy fast with the whisking and whatnot. It's impressive.

One of the nice things about a live class is that you get to see the textures up close. Sometimes I have no idea what a recipe is talking about when it's like "whip till it's "insert nonsensical description here"

The cupcakes are just so good. It's just another level of delicious.

Every time I go into the shop I act like a crazed stalker. Obviously the class was no exception. My Mom only fed this bad behavior by insisting that we take pictures with her. Ginger was really nice about it, although to be fair I'd be cool if people wanted to rave about my baking and take pictures with me too.

Weekend Update #14 – Memorial Day Weekend

Justy and I went to the drive in to see Sex and the City. They have a very clear policy on refunds and fog that I was not previously aware of. Duly noted.

Somebody is sooooo over the farmer's market.

We hit up New Canton on Monday morning.

Yum. Yum. Dim Sum.

The Fairy Godmothers were in full effect at Yum Yum Dim Sum.

Also in attendance? Lady Gaga via an "All Lady Gaga Memorial Day Marathon"

A 3-Day weekend also requires a trip to IKEA.

My crew takes furniture testing very seriously.

It's also important to find out whether any kitchen accessories might actually do double-duty as a light saber or electromagnetic force field.

Follow-up IKEA with some homemade Asparagus pizza to recuperate your strength.

Don't forget to wash it down with pretend soy milk straight from the carton and a pretend cell phone made with the cap!

Happy Happy Joy Joy

I took this picture minutes after Delilah told me she was expecting her first child. I’ve known Dehli since I was 12 years old and we were both wearing hypercolor shirts and teal jeans. We talked about boys together, went to prom together, competed in Model UN together. She remembers my younger brother Wesley when he was just a toddler. Nuff said.

Isn't she beautiful? I love this picture. She practically has a halo. This was the third and last picture I took because after this one she said "Friggin stop taking pictures of me Em!" When she sees this she will probably send me an e-mail begging me to take it down. Sorry Dehli, I can't you are too beautiful not to be blogged.

When she shared her news I was going through a really hard time adjusting to being a Mom. A really hard time. So I was surprised by how insanely excited I was for her. How I babbled on and on about how wonderful it was going to be. How they were going to be the best parents and it was going to be the most amazing time in their life. I went on and on. And then I went home to tell Arnold and Carmen. They were so excited we were all cheering… and then Elian got excited and started clapping too!

I couldn’t believe how excited we all were and honestly I couldn’t believe the intensity of my reaction. It had been so bad that week but their special news reminded me how wonderful it is to have a little one to call your own. To see the world through their eyes and learn to slow down and watch your child grow up. It’s the most frustrating, special and intense experience of my life and watching someone else start down that journey reminded me that behind all the frustration lurks unimaginable joy.

Dehli, I love you dearly and I know you will be a first class Mom. Thanks for being my friend, I can’t wait to share this journey with you.

Parenting for Dummies & Apt. 1907

We’re not only back in beloved Bogota but I’m also back guest-posting at Raising Colombian Kids again this week. Today I’m giving the shortlist of stuff we’ve learned and spouting off philosophical quotes from reggaeton artists. Click here to check it out.

Also I thought I’d mention where we are “living” here in Bogota. We are staying with our friends Martiza and Andres who not only were gracious enough to invite us to stay with them for the whole six weeks OVER THE HOLIDAYS but are also sweet enough to say that they missed us and our noisy toddler while we were in Santander. The whole time we were gone they asked when we would be coming back with their alarm clock (Elian).

Our lovely hosts

They live on the 19th Floor of a new apartment building in downtown Bogota. The location is awesome! We have our own bathroom! From here we can walk to ANYWHERE you want to go, we just go downstairs and hit up La Septima and we’re there. There is a Crepes and Waffles literally across the street. And a grocery store and El Museo Nacional and a notary and… etc etc

Thank you Andres and Maritza, I don’t know what we would’ve done without you!

The view from our Bedroom Window

R Rated-Movies, Dining Out, Lots of Sex & Partying Like a Rockstar!

Okay yesterday’s post was a little intense so I’m ready to lighten the mood a bit. Last week I made a call on Facebook for suggestions of things we needed to do before we become parents. Stuff that might be more difficult to do once Elian arrives. The results were hilarious and I promise that we are diligently working on doing it all. I kicked it off by going wine tasting with Em, Lisa and Debs last night. Lisa can attest that I was a bit silly so you can cross Maritza’s suggestion off the list… Here’s the wisdom Facebook provided me with. Last names removed to preserve some sort of privacy for the respondents. :)

SLEEP!!!!! It will be YEARS until you get a full night’s sleep! And a purse – you’ll be donning a diaper bag until your child is 4, and it’s just easier to use that as your purse.-Sharon M.

Go see R rated movies and eat at restaurants. It’ll be a lot tougher to do that soon. -Ryan K.

See as many movies as possible. And go out as much as possible. Much easier with two than with three. You will love it though. -Amber S.

Sleep and a movie in the theater!-Melissa W.

You should party like a rockstar!-Judy T. (I think this is my favorite suggestion. It’s just so all-encompassing)

Have lots and lots of sex.-Kelley M.

Go to the fanciest restaurants you can afford because those places will be a rarity soon…you’ll be going to places like River City Grill near Target (great for kids but nice for adults, too) and the Elephant Bar and the California Pizza Kitchen. And, oh yes, McDonalds. -Eileen

I think that it would be nice if you make all those things that your friends have told you, and it’s important that don’t forget:
Get the last drunk!
Sleep as long as you can!
Make a litle of exercise, because you can’t be tired!
And the most important: Take a picture before and after, of your house looks like, because you can’t forget how your lifes get a change :) -Martiza T.

What's with these homies dissin my bill?

In High school I was a nerd, a VERY HAPPY nerd. Not an angsty nerd with low self-esteem. A HAPPY nerd who could’ve cared less about my innate geekiness. I embrace it. Still do, always will but I digress. Nerds and Model U.N go together like peanutbutter and chocolate so obviously I was in Model U.N. But no, I couldn’t just be in Model UN I had to be extra geeky and think that Model UN was the BESTHINGEVER! And honestly, it was, it was so much fun!

You know what else I loved in high school? Weezer. (Trust me I’m going somewhere). And guess who was the UN Secretary General when I was in Model U.N. Boutrus-Boutrus Ghali! The man so nice they named him twice! (Don’t worry I’m still on track) And guess what Weezer song perfectly lent itself to a Model UN paroady song?

Ding ding Ding! Buddy Holly….. oooh eeeee oooh I like Boutrus-Boutrus Ghali. Oh oh and your Adlai Stevenson. I don’t care what they say about our policy. I don’t care about that! Bang bang gavel on the floor. Fight broke out 20 delegates dead! Oh no! What do I do… Yeah, there are numerous verse and a bridge but I’ll spare you the details. Just suffice it to say that I am totally willing to sing it at social functions.

Actually just a few weeks ago I sang it for Dahlia’s astonished husband Mark who apparently did not previously realize that Model UN is SERIOUS BUSINESS! I think he thought Dahl named their cat Boutrus for her Egyptian roots. The look of disbelief on his face as we belted out the third stanza was priceless. Fresh off this triumph I could not resist taking this picture at the UN in NY last month. Here you go my high school friends and fellow nerds. This one is for you!